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August 14, 2015—Boston, Massachusetts—New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has announced that, as the result of an agreement with the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants (MSMD), NEHGS will assume a ten-year stewardship of the venerable journal The Mayflower Descendant. First published in 1899 by George Ernest Bowman, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, the journal is one of the most highly respected scholarly journals in the field of genealogy. NEHGS plans to continue twice-a-year publication, winter and summer, available by subscription, with a winter 2016 issue to be published at the end of the 2015 calendar year. An editorial board of NEHGS experts will manage publication of the biannual journal, working in collaboration with leading scholars in the field ensuring that the high standards of the journal are maintained.

The journal will continue to be a source of scholarship relating to Mayflower families and related families, their origins in England, and their lives and places of residence in America, from the earliest settlements to their migrations north and westward. Articles will be of genealogical and historical importance and will maintain The Descendant’s historic scholarly standards. As publisher, NEHGS will encourage first-time authors to publish in The Descendant. A call for articles will be forthcoming.

D. Brenton Simons, NEHGS President and CEO, pointed out, “The Mayflower Descendant is essential for New England research, a ‘must-read’ when tackling a genealogical problem in New England or with New England roots. As the leader in scholarly excellence in family history, with established strength in New England genealogy and a nearly 170-year history of producing publications in the field, NEHGS is perfectly poised to assume the publication of The Descendant,” Simons continued, “carrying on the tradition begun by George Bowman in 1899 and shaping this prestigious journal for a modern audience.”

Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt, CGSM, member of the Board of assistants of MSMD, and consulting editor for The Descendant, stated, “We are excited to partner with NEHGS in this new phase of publishing The Mayflower Descendant. The journal has long been a significant resource for genealogical researchers of early colonial New England and we are confident that NEHGS will continue its high level of genealogical scholarship.”

For more information, visit: AmericanAncestors.org/Mayflower-Descendant.

About American Ancestors and NEHGS

The founding genealogical society in America, New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) was established in 1845. Today it has a national collecting scope and serves more than 100,000 constituents through an award-winning website, www.AmericanAncestors.org.

Since 1845, NEHGS has been the country’s leading comprehensive resource for genealogists and family historians of every skill level. Today NEHGS provides constituents with worldwide access to some of the most important and valuable research tools anywhere. American Ancestors is the public brand and user experience of NEHGS representing the expertise and resources available for family historians of all levels when researching their origins across the country and around the world. NEHGS’s resources, expertise, and service are unmatched in the field and their leading staff of on-site and online genealogists includes experts in early American, Irish, English, Scottish, Italian, Atlantic and French Canadian, African American, Native American, Chinese, and Jewish research.

Expert assistance is available to members and nonmembers in a variety of ways. The NEHGS library and archive, located at 99—101 Newbury Street in downtown Boston, is home to more than 28 million items, including artifacts, documents, records, journals, letters, books, manuscripts, and other items dating back hundreds of years.

About The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants

The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants was founded in 1899 to perpetuate the memory of our Pilgrim ancestors and to maintain and defend the principles of civil and religious liberty set forth in the Mayflower Compact. Membership is open to all who can prove lineal descent from one of the Mayflower passengers. Visit www.massmayflower.org for more information.